Concerns swell over Trump’s proposed end of funding for beach water-quality tests

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The federal EPA could eliminate grants used to test ocean water-quality. Such tests lead to beach closures when there’s contamination, such as this one at Huntington State Beach in May 2017. (Photo by Sam Gangwer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Concerns are growing over the Trump administration’s plans to eliminate ocean quality grants used by coastal communities to determine whether the water poses a hazard to beach goers.

The EPA stopped requesting the $10 million in annual funds in 2013, saying that states, counties and cities were adequately equipped to continuing the monitoring on their own. But a report this year from the EPA’s Office of Inspector General said documents supporting that decision were inadequate and Congress has continued the funding through the current fiscal year for these BEACH Act grants.

“BEACH Act grants allow states to protect the safety of (100 million annual beach) visitors by conducting water quality tests, posting warning signs or even closing beaches when bacteria levels indicate the water is too contaminated,” reads an April 26 letter from 26 U.S. senators urging congressional budget leaders to continue the funding.

It goes on to say that without the grants, public health costs would increase as would the threat to coastal economies.

U.S. House representatives have written a similar letter, signed by 25 members. Among the 51 Congress members signing the letters, only one is a Republican. Republicans control both chambers and some GOP support would be necessary to continue the grants. It is unclear whether the bipartisan support of the past will continue.

Scott Pruitt’s EPA

While the EPA received the funding without requesting it during President Barack Obama’s second term, the agency’s tenor has shifted with President Donald Trump’s appointment of Scott Pruitt as EPA administrator.

Pruitt — whose controversies since taking the post include a low-rent condo lease from a lobbyist and billing the government for first-class travel — has been criticized for diluting the regulatory authority of the agency. He has boasted of being “a leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda.”

His recent efforts to role back vehicle-emission measures resulted in California and 16 other states suing to maintain the clean-air efforts. Pruitt has also attracted attention lately for putting an Orange County contamination site on the fast-track for Superfund consideration.

Two coastal Southern California Republicans — Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Costa Mesa, and Darrell Issa, R-Vista — did not respond to inquires about their position on the BEACH Act funding. A third Republican whose district is near the coast, Rep. Mimi Walters, also did not respond.

California Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris both signed the Senate letter supporting continued funding. Reps. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, and Ted Liu, D-Torrance, said they too support the funding. Another coastal Democrat, Rep. Nanette Baragan, D-San Pedro, did not respond to an emailed inquiry.

More than 100 environmental groups have signed a letter to congressional budget officials supporting the funding. They include the Surfrider Foundation, the California Coastkeeper Alliance, Greenpeace USA and the Ocean Conservancy.

Funding decision

In explaining its 2013 decision to not request continued BEACH Act funding, the EPA wrote that “well-understood guidelines are in place and state and local programs have the technical expertise and procedures to continue beach monitoring without federal support.”

But the report this year from the EPA’s Office of Inspector General said “the EPA did not keep records … of supporting analyses or materials that fully document and explain the decision-making process.

“By not documenting the supporting analysis used to make the final budget decision, the agency does not meet the requirements of the Federal Records Act and the EPA’s Records Management Policy.”

Martin Wisckol covers coastal environment and development. Previously, he spent two decades as politics reporter and columnist for the Orange County Register. He’s also held reporting positions in Miami, Jacksonville, Detroit and his hometown of San Diego, with an emphasis on land use and urban planning. He is a lifelong surfer and has spent most of his life on the coast. His work has been honored by the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Headliner Awards, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, the Florida Press Club and the American Planning Association Florida Chapter.

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